"Hey."

Something tickled his ears and he rolled to his side, irritated.

"You know you snore like a sawmill, man?"

He opened his eyes and looked into a bookshelf that definitely wasn't his and the chuckle that followed was not one he was accustomed to.

"What the -," He was up in a half-sitting position so fast the room spun on him. "I fell asleep?"

Nick was leering at him when he finally dared turn his head. "I think Grissom found your snoring very endearing. He got a look like I've only seen when he discovers a baby bug to take home and feed."

"Would you shut up?" Warrick curled up into a sitting position, hiding his face in his palms. "What time is it?"

"It's early, only 8 AM." Nick was sitting at his side, laying a hand on his back. "You can go back to sleep Rick, I just wanted you to know Griss called us for breakfast and I'm gonna get a shower. You ok, man?"

"You need your meds," Warrick mumbled into his hands, not believing he had been caught sleeping on his job.

"Already taken care of," Nick chuckled. "Rick, you still look exhausted. When did you sleep last?"

"Griss?"

"Griss, what?" Nick was starting to sound concerned. "You really ok man? You're not making much sense here. I mean, you're actually making less sense than usual."

"Griss gave you your meds?" He removed his hands far enough to send a glare in Nick's direction. That was when he noticed he was actually covered with a quilt. "Who put this on? Man, if Cath saw me she's gonna taunt my manliness until kingdom come."

"Like you're taunting mine?" Nick teased while moving very carefully to get his feet on the floor. "I took my meds and if you and Cath don't stop babying me, I swear I'll have to take drastic measures. Ouch!"

"Hey, easy there man!" Warrick was on his feet by Nick's side, finally out of his mortal humiliation and with a plan of action. "You know it takes you fifteen minutes to get up or down. Let me help you."

"Taunting much?" Nick glared, moving to the edge and hanging onto the bed frame in an effort to gather enough strength to actually get up.

Warrick extended his hand. "I've not stooped to tucking you in and bringing you your woobie yet."

Nick gripped his hand and pulled himself up, swaying enough to make Warrick grab his waist and wait until Nick's discomfort settled and his breath ran more smoothly. "Miss nurse Nell's sponge baths now, do ya?"

Nick chuckled and leaned his head on Warrick's shoulder. "Don't make me laugh man, that hurts."

"That and breathing and walkin' and sittin' and – feel free to add to the list," Warrick reminded the mule-headed Texan laconically.

"How adorable!"

Two sets of eyes darted to the door opening; only to see one Sara Sidle with a grin that would not end. "You're bickering like Edna and Roy, so adorable."

"Who?" Nick asked, wobbling when he loosened the grip around Warrick's upper arms. Warrick decided not to let go.

"There's this couple in my building," Sara grinned. "They're both around 70 and bent and and crippled from hard labor and a long life and still - talk about passion! They fight every Sunday morning on their balcony, very loudly and intensely and every afternoon they walk down the street holding hands and looking at each other like teenagers. It's just beautiful."

"Edna's hard to handle," Warrick grumbled, trying to muddy the waters and stop Sara from having a field day on account of their possibly-incriminating posture with arms around each other and Nick trying to get loose and swaying dangerously on his feet. The tell-tale tinge of red on his cheeks probably telling their friend that this was something other than brotherly love. At least Warrick wasn't able to remember hugging any one of his friends quite like this.

"Who you calling Edna," Nick grumbled, finally getting his balance back. "He just helped get outta bed, Sar. I reek of Palm Springs and that's not on the top ten list of desirable colognes so I need a shower."

"A cold one?" Sara quipped, tilting her head to the side and beaming. "Com'on, I'll help you."

Nick finally freed himself and shook his head, "See there's my main problem, too many helpers. I can do this just fine, thank you ma'am."

"That why I had to help you with the socks last night at Palm Springs?" Warrick put one last point in. "Coz' you couldn't bend enough to get them on?"

"That's just a cruel and unduly reminder of my current shortcomings," Nick muttered under his breath, hanging on to the door-frame.

"I won't look, you think I need to see more of how battered you really are? They nearly made ground meat out of ya Nicky, don't need reminders of that. I'll just help you get down on that stool and leave you alone. I'll be waiting outside the cubicle just in case you fall down and drown in the drain." With one hand around Nick's waist, he dragged the protesting man inside the bathroom, cringing at Sara's happy laughter.

"I think we just fed the gossip mill big time," Nick whined.

"Ya think?" Warrick replied with a talkative smirk.

To say breakfast was an odd occasion was putting it mildly. Sara sat at the table with a sly grin, flirting with Grissom and dropping all kinds of hints. Gil Grissom was thankfully enough his old self and totally clueless. At least that's how he played it because Warrick got some odd looks at times. Warrick almost put his foot in his mouth, right down to his knee, when Grissom asked about his plans. He just stared at the man, not quite understanding why he would ask, why he felt he had the right to ask and was jolted out of his acute disassociate psychosis by Sara's: "Today Rick, what are your plans today?"

"Right," Warrick felt reality smirk at him. "Tina called, she has all my stuff packed so I'll go pick it up and leave the key. She's been bugging me to do it for these past few days so I better get it over with."

"Still have half of your stuff in storage?" Nick asked, "You know you can stay at my place till you find something suitable."

Sara grinned.

Gil Grissom nodded. "Sounds like a plan. If you need help I can call Greg to help you pick up your things, he's still on sick leave. Would you pick up something for Nicky, at his place? I don't know how long he'll be gone but I guess he'd need at least a couple of changes, right Nicky?"

"I'm still here," came the calm protest. "I'll go with you Rick. My place still a crime scene?"

"You're not going anywhere Nick and no, it was released this morning, couldn't find anything else," Sara said, stirring her coffee. "I can't believe these guys. They're professionals, they have to be. I told Griss already; we did pick up the guy who did the B&E, or really, he walked in demanding to be arrested. Scared shitless, the poor guy. Young, maybe twenty-two and says he needs to do time."

"Anyone we know?" Nick asked, voice low and filled with cautious hope for a possible simple solution.

"No," Sara shook her head. "Name's Arman Menshuck, no ties to your files or anything. Will do time because he confessed on the spot to three other B& Es but refuses to spill on whose orders he's working. He was temporarily employed by CAP a couple of months ago and we now have the perfect opportunity to talk to that Bannister guy owning it. Turns out he's in Maryland with his wife - on business. And listen to this, his secretary claims he can't be reached, some businessman huh?"

"Not enough to get an APB out on the man huh?" Warrick knew by now not to get his hopes up but still, any damned news got him wishing that this would be all over.

"For the unfortunate employer of a small-time criminal? Wouldn't think so, we need some concrete proof that the firm is tied in to all this," Sara sighed.

"I need to see all evidence you've gathered," Nick spoke. "Maybe something in there will trigger my memory?"

They all turned to look at him. His pallor had increased and he was leaning onto the table, breath shallow and sweat forming on his brow.

"C'mon on, I'll help you lie down." Warrick nodded to the sofa a few feet away. "Should have added sitting to the list, huh?"

"I'm fine." Nick tried his best to actually look fine but failed miserably. Warrick picked him up by his waist, draping Nick's arm around his shoulders and Grissom appeared at Nick's other side, helping him the few steps back to the adjacent room. Nick felt slack and shivery in his hold. Sara turned up with a quilt, face concerned, eyes darting between the three of them.

"Fuck Nick, you look worse today than yesterday," Warrick grumbled.

"I'll call Robbins," Grissom added, looking pointedly at Sara to her to pick up his cell-phone off the table. "He can do a quick check-up and we'll just take him back if need be."

"No, hold on," Nick protested. "It's just – see, I just took less pain medication today. Have to start weaning myself off, the sooner the better."

Warrick and Grissom's eyes met and without much ceremony they lowered Nick to the divan while Sara draped the quilt over him. Grissom returned to the guest-room for the meds. Warrick just glared at the mule-headed Texan. "So you got yourself a doctorate in medicine overnight?"

Nick started getting that pissed-off look about him again. "I took 1.5 ml less and I don't think that makes much difference, really."

Grissom reappeared and shot a glance over at Nick before handing Warrick the plastic bag with the needed equipment.

"I can do this myself, you know," Nick tried.

Warrick's glare over the syringe silenced Nick efficiently. He pushed the meds in, counting to Mississippi-60 while keeping his eyes on Nick. "You're not allowed to administer any meds to yourself without my supervision, got that?"

"Ai'ght Boss!" Nick smirked ironically and Warrick really wanted to whack the man over the head. Instead he turned to Grissom, "I need 5 minutes before I'm off."

"You're not letting him see that last piece of evidence, are you?" Warrick kept his voice, despite the fact that they were standing outside with the door firmly closed.

"Warrick, I did hide things from Nick at one point and it did not end well," Grissom said, watching the quiet street behind Warrick's back. "There's still a trust issue from his side, I can't aggravate the situation. Not now, not when the chances that someone will get to him yet again are what they are."

"He's already on a guilt trip because of that man that died in the fire. Seeing that picture will make him connect the wires all wrong, I know Nick, I know how his mind works. It's not that it's likely to jolt him memory anyhow."

Grissom nodded, "You're right Warrick, but if he asks, and you know Nick; he picks up on things and will get to the bottom of everything. If he does ask I will have to show him all I have."

Warrick had to admit that things between Griss and Nick hadn't been smooth as of late, and Nick had been slipping away in some odd manner. Distancing himself at times. "The Gordon case, huh?"

"I wasn't thinking. I don't have Nick's capability to see what goes on in people's minds. What I really meant was that the case was over, not that his ordeal was. It just came out wrong and there was no retreating afterward. He just looked at me with this strange expression that left me totally perplexed for a moment and I had nothing left to say. It was like he dismissed me totally in that instance." Grissom turned to look at Warrick. "Sometimes I wish he was easier to understand."

"He's just Nick, you can't pin him down like a bug and expect him to stay where you left him. He has the capability to move on, whatever is thrown in his way. Doesn't mean he won't be affected, he just bounces back and let's no one see what it's doing to him." Warrick played with the car keys in his hand, finding himself smiling like a goon as he spoke. "Sometimes I just wanna pop him one. I hope you didn't intend to send him alone where ever you're sending him. He can't lie to safe his life but he sure is good at leaving information out."

"I was thinking on going with him myself, take a week or two off. And Sara's volunteered, so has Greg."

Grissom taking a week or two off had Warrick's head reeling for a moment before he got his bearing back and shook his head. "No, I'm going with him, I owe him that much and someone's gotta be there that can read all his little idiosyncrasies or he'll fool you all."

Gil Grissom smiled a knowing smile. "I figured that much out last night."

Warrick didn't even comment, he was already halfway to his car. There was no way of denying what Grissom had seen, and right now he didn't much care.

"You gonna be all right Warrick? Need anything?"

"Nah, I'll be fine." Warrick replied as he settled into his SUV and leaned out the open side window, "I'll just get my things over to Nick's and take a shower. Then I'll pack some bags and be back. Just see to it he doesn't get into any more trouble while I'm gone."

When he turned the key in the ignition he could have sworn Gil Grissom looked a tad preoccupied at his request. Warrick couldn't really blame him.